Victim services providers find $20M of relief in revised state budget

Gov. Bill Lee’s substitute budget includes a new line item: $20 million dollars for victim services.

The allocation comes after more than 100 nonprofits called upon the legislature to dedicate $25 million annually to organizations that work to help victims of crime, domestic violence, sexual assault and other abuses. The money would help providers avoid staff layoffs, closures and program cuts as federal funds for such services have dwindled in recent years.

Jennifer Escue, the CEO of the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, says that the governor’s decision is a “big deal,” given that, historically, the state has not directed money toward victim services.

“We weren’t making a frivolous ask. We aren’t asking for wildly more than we need. It really is — we were, we are, in a crisis situation,” Escue says. “This [$20 million] means that we won’t see the kind of loss in services to victims that we were afraid might happen.”

Organizations have historically been funded by federal court prosecution fees, as required by the Victims of Crime Act. But a change in how court fees has resulted in major losses for victim service nonprofits over the past few years. Escue says the state has been able to backfill that money using pandemic relief dollars, but those have now run out. The $20 million is intended to relieve organizations of this funding cliff. It is separate from the greater funding uncertainty as a result of recent actions by the Trump administration.

The dollars will be doled out over the next two years and are not meant to support new programming. Rather, the money will be used to maintain existing services — which range from sexual assault exams to shelter hotlines to court advocacy.

In a statement, the Tennessee Victims Service Provider Alliance said the allocation represented important progress, but that it doesn’t alleviate the need for a recurring state revenue stream.

“We are deeply grateful to Governor Lee for recognizing the vital role these organizations play in ensuring safety and justice for survivors,” wrote Stephen Woerner, executive director of Children’s Advocacy Centers of Tennessee. “However, we must ensure this investment is recurring and sufficient to sustain these programs long-term.”